"What! What's going on?" In that instant, a buzz rang through Wu Hai's mind. The surrounding Lava Cave vanished with a roar, and the next moment he realized that countless stakes had been driven into his limbs and body. A stabbing pain surged through him, and he completely lost control of his body, as if he'd been nailed to the ground.
"AAAHHHH!" Wu Hai screamed. He'd clearly been attacking that white-haired boy, so why had the scene suddenly changed? What had happened just now?
A flicker of light, and Lin Chuan's figure abruptly appeared in front of Wu Hai. His blood-red eyes were fixed on Wu Hai, who was trapped by Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique. No matter how desperately Wu Hai struggled, he couldn't break free.
"You forced me to use my Sharingan to cast Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique. Now, let me make you feel the pain this technique brings." Lin Chuan's voice seemed to come from every direction, hammering at Wu Hai's soul.
"AAAH! Who are you? Let me go!!" Wu Hai roared in utter terror. The sensation of stakes being driven into his body felt so real. He'd never encountered such a bizarre and powerful attack, let alone known how to break it.
Back then, Uchiha Itachi had used this technique to defeat Orochimaru in an instant, forcing Orochimaru to sever his own arm to break free. Lin Chuan's Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique couldn't match Itachi's, but dealing with Wu Hai was easy.
In the distance, when Qin Lang saw Wu Hai charge at Lin Chuan, a faint, regretful smile appeared on his face. He lifted his head toward the unseen sky and murmured to himself, In the end, I still couldn't protect the things I cherished... Jing Ru... It seems I really can't go back... I hope you forget about me... I'm still so weak after all... powerless to fight back... powerless to change our fate...
Bu Lianshi shook her head bitterly. This moment had come at last. She and Qin Lang had fought with all their might, but they'd only managed to buy a little time. In the end, they hadn't stopped the invaders or protected the companions they cherished. "Brother Lin Chuan, I don't regret coming to the Southern Bright Continent. I've felt more warmth here than in all my time on the Central River Continent..."
The next moment, just as everyone watched the cave, waiting for Lin Chuan to be struck down in a spray of blood, a strange sight appeared.
From where they stood, they could only see Wu Hai's fist raised high. Yet he stood before Lin Chuan as if frozen in place, without moving a muscle.
"What's Boss Wu Hai doing? Why isn't he attacking?" several people wondered aloud as they stared into the cave.
"What on earth happened?!"
Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang stared into the cave in astonishment, too. They'd already prepared themselves for death, but now, as if granted a final burst of life, they looked toward Lin Chuan and saw him slowly rise to his feet.
"AAAH! Who are you? Let me go!!"
Wu Hai's sudden, terrified shriek shattered the silence. Everyone stared at him in shock, unable to understand what had happened. No one was restraining him, so why was he shouting for someone to let him go?
Even more chilling was the terror in Wu Hai's voice. His shrill scream sounded as if he'd seen a ghost. Just hearing it made everyone feel as though they'd fallen into an icy pit, their backs prickling with dread!
"What...?"
Before the crowd could recover from their shock, they suddenly saw something white, like a bone, pierce through Wu Hai's back.
"What... is that?"
A strange atmosphere now shrouded everything. Both Wu Hai's men and Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi felt as if danger lurked at their backs. Everyone stopped fighting and watched the bizarre scene unfolding in the cave.
"Now that you've felt Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, die!"
A cold, utterly emotionless voice rang out. Lin Chuan pulled his hand away from Wu Hai's left chest, drawing out with it a sharp bone that had pierced through his palm.
Thud!
The next moment, Lin Chuan kicked Wu Hai, whose life had already been snuffed out, sending him flying toward the lava lake in the center of the cave. He splashed up a vast sheet of crimson molten rock.
"Boss!!"
"That white-haired boy killed Wu Hai! How is that possible...?!"
At last, Lin Chuan had used the time bought by Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique to regain control of his body. His blood-red Sharingan slowly faded, replaced by the Byakugan.
"Lin Chuan, you..." Qin Lang stared at him in shock. Was this really the companion they knew? His strength seemed to have reached a realm they couldn't even imagine.
"Take a rest! I'll handle the rest!" Lin Chuan shot forward, charging at the eleven remaining men. He had to take them out as quickly as possible. The spiritual energy inside him still hadn't been fully refined, and it could erupt at any moment.
Whoosh!
Lin Chuan appeared before one of them almost as if he'd teleported. Without a single unnecessary motion, he struck the man's chest with his palm.
The enemy reacted quickly, too. The moment Lin Chuan's right hand came at him, he crossed his arms over his chest to defend himself. Besides, Lin Chuan only seemed to be around the third level of Qi Refining Stage, so he was no threat.
Though he didn't know what sort of demonic art the white-haired boy had used to kill the gravely wounded Wu Hai, there were eleven experts here at the sixth level of Qi Refining Stage or higher. Killing Lin Chuan should be as easy as turning over a hand.
But in the next moment, his chest was pierced straight through. In the final instant before his life ebbed away, he glimpsed a sharp bone thrusting out from the white-haired boy's palm. It pierced through his arms and plunged into his heart.
"That's... his bone... How is that possible...?"
The instant Lin Chuan killed the man, a figure flashed in from behind him, murder in his eyes. A long sword had appeared in his hand at some point, and he thrust it straight at Lin Chuan's back. Everyone thought the strike was bound to land: it was a carefully planned sneak attack from behind.
Unfortunately, to Lin Chuan's Byakugan, such a sneak attack was laughable. Without even turning his head, Lin Chuan struck the man's chest with his right elbow. The bone in his arm burst out in an instant, piercing the man's heart with pinpoint precision.
"What is that...?"
"Bone... Those are his bones... He's attacking with his own bones..."
"What kind of monster is he?!"
Everyone wore expressions of utter horror as they watched the white-haired boy's arm bone slowly retract into his body. They backed away without thinking.
Pain kept stabbing through Lin Chuan's body. He knew he didn't have much time left. There was only one way to deal with the trouble before him quickly!
His hands rapidly formed Hand Seals in front of his chest. Senjutsu Chakra rushed through his meridians and gathered swiftly in Lin Chuan's mouth.
"Sage Art: Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Before you continue